The room smelled faintly of roses, but to Li Na, the fragrance was suffocating. Her vision blurred as blood seeped from the corner of her lips, staining her pale gown crimson. Every breath felt like glass cutting her lungs.
At the foot of the bed, the two people she loved most- no, the two had trusted most- stood together.
Her fiance, Chen Wei, held her best friend's hand with a tenderness he had never shown her. And that so-called best friend, Zhao Mei, leaned against him, eyes glittering with triumph rather than grief.
''Pathetic,'' Chen Wei sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. ''All these years, you believed I loved you. Did you really think someone as weak as you deserve me?''
Li Na's chest heaved, her trembling fingers clutching at the sheets. ''Wei....why.....?''
Zhao Mei's laughter was like a knife. ''Because you were too easy to fool, Na. All your trust, your loyalty- wasted. Did you really think you could stand beside us? You were nothing more than a stepping stone.''
Tears stung Li Na's eyes, but the pain in her heart burned hotter than the wounds on her body. She had given them everything- her love, her friendship, her future. And they repaid her with betrayal.
Her strength waned, but rage held her consciousness like fire refusing to be snuffed out.
''I see.....''Her voice was hoarse, yet her words carried a chilling clarify. ''I was blind. I gave my heart to snakes. If there is a next life.....''Her bloodied lips curled into a cold, bitter smile.....''I will destroy you both. I will make you beg for mercy....and I will never forgive.''
The candlelight flickered as her eyes closed.
The last sound she heard was Zhao Mei's mocking laughter and Chen Wei's cold whisper:
''Die quietly, Li Na. The world will forget you''
But as darkness claimed her, something deep within her soul stirred.
And in that final heartbeat, fate listened.